Hector Hyppolite

haiti, painter, vodou, houngan, naive art, breton

Born Jan 01, 1894

Saint-Marc, Haiti

Passed Away Jun 09, 1948 Saint-Marc, Haiti

Lifespan 54 years old

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"The spirits hold my hand when I paint; it is their world that appears upon the board."

Archival Overview

Master Haitian painter and Vodou priest (Houngan) whose mystical canvases captivated André Breton and world surrealists.

Biographical Record

Hector Hyppolite was a visionary painter and third-generation Vodou priest whose raw, luminous artwork catapulted Haitian art to global acclaim in the 1940s.

Painting with chicken feathers, his fingers, and commercial house paint on cardboard, Hyppolite depicted Vodou lwas (spirits) including Erzulie Freda, Baron Samedi, and Damballa with hypnotic mythic power.

Discovered by French surrealist writer André Breton in 1945, Breton acquired multiple canvases and championed him in Paris, establishing Hyppolite as the founding father of modern Haitian naive painting.

Memorial Guestbook & Tributes

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Rest in Peace Forever remembered and cherished Your legacy lives on in all of us With deep gratitude for your life and light

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Final Resting Place

Perpetual Memorial

Saint-Marc Municipal Cemetery
Saint-Marc, Haiti

                         GPS: 19.1081, -72.7042                    

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